Activist and political leader Avraham Burg has been a leading figure in Israeli politics for over 20 years. The youngest speaker in the history of the Israeli Knesset (1999-2003) and a staunch supporter of peace in the Middle East, Burg has been referred to as “one of the best speechmakers in politics.”
Despite having grown up at the heart of the religious Zionist movement, Burg has led the way to a more liberal reconciliatory approach to the Middle East conflict; “All of my life I’ve been an activist of the peace camp ... I’m ready to go a very long way to bring people together from dialogue to acceptance and than compromise.” In a bold move, he became the first speaker to invite his Palestinian counterpart to address the Israeli Knesset.
In his books, Defeating Hitler and God is Back, a #1 bestseller in Israel, Burg explores the critical need for separation of religion and the state. He warns that an increasingly large sector of Israeli society disdains political democracy. His most recent book, The Holocaust Is Over; We Must Rise from Its Ashes, will be published in the U.S. in 2008.
Burg has written for The Guardian and the International Herald Tribune and appeared on CNN’s Crossfire and CBS’s The Early Show. Currently, Burg is leading a British-Israeli investment company that attracts funds to strengthen businesses in Israel.
“I wish to thank [Avraham Burg] for his biting parliamentary spirit and the way he so jealously guarded the honor of the Knesset, improved its operation and elevated its status.”- Shimon Peres
